How to get longer lashes

If you’re looking to enhance your natural beauty, there are a few things that might help you feel your best. From keeping skin and lips smooth and hydrated to ensuring your eyelashes are nourished and healthy, a couple of small additions to your routine can make all the difference.

Do eyelashes grow?

Eyelashes grow in a three-stage cycle throughout our lives. These include growth, shedding, and a dormant stage. It can take up to three months for your lashes to reach the growth stage, so you shouldn’t expect any serums or treatments to work instantly.¹

Stimulating eyelashes to grow more quickly

You might have heard about serums boosting growth and leaving their users with longer, thicker eyelashes. A popular prescription-only serum contains the active ingredient bimatoprost², which can stimulate the growth of new eyelashes in four to six weeks. Lots of nonprescription serums contain similar growth stimulants and boast great results, but do they really work? You might notice some improvement to the length and condition of your eyelashes when you add a serum into your routine, but you’ll need to be careful which one you choose. Your eyes are a delicate part of your body, so applying a formula that irritates them or clogs the glands in your eyelids can cause discomfort.³

The safe alternative to eyelash serums

If you aren’t sure about applying an eyelash serum but want to try conditioning your lashes, you’ll be pleased to learn that there is an alternative.

Eyelash conditioners are often safer than serums with growth-stimulating ingredients,⁴ and can do an excellent job of nourishing your lashes and keeping them healthy. These conditioning formulas can also help strengthen lashes and prevent them from breaking. It’s important to remember that nourishing hair oils and serums won’t make your eyelashes grow any longer, but they are a good option when used safely and can certainly improve their appearance.

You can also try some all-natural lash conditioning techniques, like using coconut oil or olive oil to moisturise your eyelashes and improve their strength and shine.

More ways to keep eyelashes healthy

If you don’t treat your eyelashes carefully, you might accelerate the rate of shedding and leave yourself with thinned out, shorter lashes. Eyelashes look great, but they’re also important when it comes to protecting your eyes from dirt and dust. There are lots of reasons to keep your eyelashes in tip-top condition.

Here are a few of the best ways to keep them healthy.

• Always remove eye makeup
• Be as gentle as possible when removing product from your eyes
• Avoid rubbing your eyes
• Avoid waterproof mascara
• Be gentle if you must curl your eyelashes
• Refresh your mascara regularly
• Never share mascara with another person

Eating a healthy diet which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids is another great way to keep your skin, hair, nails, and eyelashes healthy.⁵ Ensuring you eat a good diet is important for so many reasons, the condition of your eyelashes might just help you stay motivated!

Last updated: 8 June 2020